Youngsters can dress up as shipmates on pirate ship cruises in Massachusetts, Florida, New Jersey, Maryland and South Carolina, taking on enemy vessels in water battles and finding sunken treasure. In North Carolina, they can join treasure hunts on Wrightville Beach to dig for buried booty. They can also be buccaneers in November’s annual Beaufort Pirate Invasion on the state’s Outer Banks and at Tampa Bay’s Gasparilla Pirate Fest in January. UNDER THE SEA Aquariums abound across the U.S. , Monterey Bay Aquarium inspired the fictional Monterey Marine Life Institute in animated movie Finding Dory. Boston’s New England Aquarium has the East Coast’s biggest shark and ray touch tank, Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium is home to beluga whales and in Atlanta, visitors can swim with whale sharks and manta rays at the Georgia Aquarium. ZIP ALONG Adventurous kids will love Georgia’s Historic Banning Hills adventure resort, near Atlanta. They can soar over treetops on the world’s longest zip wire canopy tour, Screaming Eagle, featuring almost 10 miles of ziplines and sky bridges. Or if they have a head for heights, they can climb the world’s tallest artificial climbing wall, more than 137 feet high. RAILWAY CHILDREN’S DELIGHTS Once one of the world’s busiest rail terminals, a 3D light show plays across the ceiling of the grand hall of Union Station in St. Louis, Missouri, every evening, while a spectacular hourly fire and light show synchronised to music features a 100-foot-long waterfall on the adjacent lake. Other family-friendly attractions include the St. Louis Aquarium in the station’s former mall. PICTUREDMain image: A family rafting adventure on the Deschutes river, Central Oregon. Above: Philadelphia's Please Touch Museum; Below: Mario Kart ride at Super Nintendo World, Universal Orlando Resort, Florida; Dinosaurs loom large at the Children's Museum in Indianapolis; A ray of hope at St. Louis Aquarium, which is housed in Union Station; Cutout: Spiderman at Strong National Museum of Play, Rochester, New York Enjoy a dolphin or whalewatching cruise from states such as Hawaii, Florida, California, Massachusetts, Alabama, Alaska and Texas FAMILY FAVOURITES MISSOURI DIVISION OF TOURISM VISIT PHILADELPHIA/ MICHAEL BRANSCOM visitusa.org.uk 35
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